


this is the beginning and the end

by BlackBlood1872



Series: Your Soul As Mine [3]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Canon Compliant, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24915472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackBlood1872/pseuds/BlackBlood1872
Summary: "I think it's time, angel.""Time for what, dear boy?""...for the end of the world."
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Your Soul As Mine [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1542190
Kudos: 17





	this is the beginning and the end

**Author's Note:**

> i've completely forgot how to tag, rip.  
> this covers the graveyard scene, just before the baby swap, now with daemons!

Crowley freezes midword and gazes blankly into space for long enough to worry Aziraphale. "Is something wrong?" he asks, and his voice breaks Crowley out of—whatever that was. The demon shakes his head and then looks over with miraculously sober eyes. Aziraphale swallows hard and follows suit.

"I'm being called," says Crowley, voice tight but not blank enough to hide the anxiety in his tone. "I think—I think it's time, angel."

"Time?" he repeats, as if playing obtuse will change the meaning behind those words. He holds his wine glass tighter. "Time for what, dear boy?"

Crowley stands, slips on his sunglasses. His hand is shaking. "For the end of the world."

* * *

Aziraphale stays behind at the shop. They don't need to pretend with their fellow occult (or ethereal) beings, and he doesn't want to be there for this, anyway. Crowley has a fancy daemon locket, typically used for particularly small and vulnerable daemon forms, or for the appearance of having a tiny daemon. It helps for when he has to go somewhere without Aziraphale, or if they both have something to do that requires a human form.

He doesn't like it, but that's because he's gotten used to having the angel nearby. He's gotten used to having someone to talk to at all times, to having proper company. It's natural to miss him.

But Aziraphale can't be here for this. He doesn't want to be, either, and Crowley doesn't push him—never pushes him to do anything truly evil. And surely this, placing the antichrist child into the world, is the most evil he can do. It will bring about the end of the Earth, after all, and every being on it.

Crowley, too, would stay away from this event if he could.

* * *

"Right, so, where's, uh," Crowley peers into the basket nervously, "where's his daemon, then?"

"His demon?" Hastur repeats blankly.

"Daemon," Crowley corrects. "It's, er, humans, they've got—their souls are on the outside, yeah, look like animals. Kind of—kind of like our aspects, actually. All sorts of wildlife around, they'll definitely notice something's up if he doesn't have one."

"Oh, I've got this," says Ligur. He snaps his fingers. There's a muted _thwip_ , similar to the sound his tongues makes when he catches something out of the air, and suddenly there's a gecko in the basket as well. It blinks dull eyes at Crowley and doesn't otherwise move. It looks like a sticky rubber toy.

"Very. Uh. Very well done. Yes. That. That'll work." It _won't_ work, but Crowley isn't going to _say_ that. He can fix it though. Can… work some magic to make this thing into something presentable. Sure.

He waits until he's back in his car before he attempts anything, splitting his attention between that magic and driving, all too aware of his time limit—the one for this night, and the sudden eleven year deadline to the end of the world. Crowley has breathed life back into birds before. He has healed and prompted and coaxed. But this creature has never been alive, not like the animals and humans he's tended to. He tries his best, giving it the ability to change, to shift form like a young daemon does. He can't give it a form to settle into, permanently, but that doesn't really matter. It won't be around long enough for that to happen.

He cannot give it a personality, either. He can try, can guess at what sort of qualities it should have in relation to its person, but really, that's not for him to decide. That right belongs to the antichrist child, and so instead he weaves in mimicry and a mental link, however frail, so that the two might have the chance to pass as connected.

But in the end, no matter what Crowley does, it doesn't change the fact that this child has no daemon. He would have felt sorry for him if he hadn't locked away any emotions he might have towards him. It's always dangerous, getting attached. Even more so with this child. Everyone is better off if he doesn't allow that to happen.

(He's always been bad at staying away.)

* * *

He hands the antichrist child off to the nuns, and that's it for his involvement. Crowley leaves (escapes), and drives straight back to Aziraphale's shop.

When he gets there, Aziraphale hands him an overfull glass of wine. Crowley downs it in one.

And so the night goes.


End file.
